The invention relates to an attitude control for an onboard seat, in particular, to the attitude control of a front seat of a vehicle which is provided with two or more rows of seats spaced in the fore-and-aft direction.
In many vehicles, a driver's seat is designed to permit a free change of its attitude so that a driver can choose an appropriate driving position. Often, a passenger seat which is located alongside the driver's seat is also designed to assume an adjustable attitude.
In certain mechanisms which support a seat, there is provided an electrical drive mechanism which allows the attitude of the seat to be changed by a switch operation. This facilitates changing the seat attitude without requiring an occupant to move his body through any significant stroke, thus allowing a selection of a seating attitude in a safe manner during driving a vehicle.
However, in a vehicle which is provided with a passenger seat located rearwardly of the driver, any attempt to change the attitude of a front seat may cause an oppression upon or a stressed attitude of a passenger who is seated upon a rear seat. Accordingly, if the driver desires to change the attitude of his seat, he must be careful by asking a passenger on the rear seat if it is permissible. However, it is a frequent occurrence that the driver changes the attitude of his seat to the unpreparedness of the rear passenger, causing a discomfort to the latter. The easier the attitude of the seat can be changed, the more frequently the discomfort is caused. There has been no accommodation for this in conventional arrangements, which is undesirable.
It is an object of the invention to provide an attitude control apparatus of onboard seat for use in a vehicle which is provided with two or more rows of the seats in the fore-and-aft direction, which avoids any discomfort caused to a passenger on a rear seat.